Spielberg takes reins on ‘War Horse’

WWI book to be director's next project

Steven Spielberg has selected his next directing job: World War I epic “War Horse.”

Disney and DreamWorks will release the film Aug. 10, 2011.

“War Horse” is based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel of the same name, as well as a stage adaptation. Spielberg is producing with Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Revel Guest. Scribes Lee Hall and Richard Curtis are penning the adapted script.

Set against the backdrop of the Great War, storyline charts the extraordinary friendship between a boy and a horse who are separated but whose fates continue to intertwine over the course of WWI.

The Great War was a natural topic for Spielberg to take on. He’s already explored World War II in a number of projects, including “Saving Private Ryan,” which he directed. He exec produced the HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers,” and more recently, the pay cabler’s “The Pacific.”

Spielberg’s process is to develop several projects at a time before deciding which one he’ll direct next. In the round, he also was weighing Spielberg is expected to start production on “War Horse” in late summer or early fall. He’ll also be in theaters next year with the 3D family pic “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn,” which unspools Dec. 23, 2011.

At that time, Spielberg said he knew as soon as he read the book that he wanted to make it into a film. “Its heart and its message provide a story that can be felt in every country,” he said.

“War Horse” was published in 1982. Morpurgo is the best-selling author of more than 120 books for children, including “Kensuke’s Kingdom” and “Private Peaceful.”

The hit stage adaptation of “War Horse,” written by Nick Stafford and directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, was first produced at London’s National Theater in 2007. It has since played successful repeat engagements in the West End.